Improved clay-moulding machine



ier a uit Meseta ROBERT HILL, OF S'l. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

'Letters Patent No. 88,1%, dated March 23, 1869.

IMPROVED CLAY-MOULDING- MACHINE.

To all whom 'it may concern Be it known that -I, ROBERT HILL, of St. Louis, in the county of St. Louis, and State of Missouri, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Moulding Clay; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and clear description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to machines such as are usually employed for moulding retorts'for illuminating-gas, and pipes for sewers. drains, and similar articles.

Thel nature of this invention is in th'e employment of a stationary table, upon which the moulds and cores are placed, and thc retort or pipe is formed; and said nature is in the employment of rammers, or stamps, which are not only raised and dropped as ordinarily, but which are moved so as to strike different points of the hori'zontal face of the retort or pipe being moulded; and, lastly, the nature hereof is in the application of ropes, bands, or chains, with cams, to operate said rammers, and in certain peculiar devices for raising the entire body of rammers; all of which will hereinafter more fully appear.

To enable those skilled herein to make and use my said improvements, I will now fully describethe saine, referring tothe accompanying Figure 1 as a central sectional elevation; to

Figure 2 as an elevation of the arrangement for securing the lateral motion of rammers, to

Figure 3 as a top plan; and to Figure 4 as a sectional'plan along the line x y of I support my said machine upon a proper frame, having a base-block, A.

The core B and mould C will be secured to said baseblock. The mould C will usually be arranged to open,

being formed of hinged parts, so that itmay be easily removed when the retort is formed.

The core B will be secured to the base-block A by a bolt, b, having its uut b at its lower end,- resting in socket of the base-block A.

A dovetailed sliding piece, D, is set in said baseblock A, being arranged to hold the core B in position when the bolt b is drawn tight; but, when said bolt is released, the said sliding piece D may be moved out sideways, thus detaching the core from the base-block A.

In the annular-space C', between the-core and mould,

wherein clay, or .similar material, is to be fed, to form the pipe or retort, I arrange one or more rammers, E, the same being guided at the top in the frame-piece F.

They are to be lifted by ropes, chains, or bands G, but drop, of their own weight, upon the clay in the space C', thereby ramming and compressing the same.

The ropes G are operatedby the cams H upon the shafts h, which are turned by a driving-power from without.

.In order that said ropes may depend vertically along the vertical line of cach rammer, I pass the same over rollers g, secured in the frame F, to their points of 'attachment e on the rammers.

In order that the cams H, after depressing the ropes G, and thus elevating the rammers E, shall suddenly release said rammers, so that they may fall freely, said cams H are arranged withv a side taper,'h2, so that the cam-surface H shall support the rope until its release, and thereupon the rope, having reached the thin edge of said surface H at h, said rope shall draw up or be drawn taut by the falling rammer.

The ends g of the ropes G are attached to the drums I on the shafts fi. `A ratchet-wheel, K, and pawl k, on said shaft, hold the drum I, unless revolved by the operator. When said drum is thus revolved, the ropes G are wound up thereon, and the rammers E are thereby raised. In this manner, as the operator feeds clay to the mould, and as, owing to the clay compressed iu the mould, the rammers E are limited in their fall, the ropes are drawn vup, so that, nevertheless, the action of the cams H shall produce tbe same lift of rammers, and thus the pounding and compressing-action is equalized.

In order that the rammers may touch each part' of the annular space C', I havearranged a lateral feed'- motion of said rammers, as follows:

On the frame of my said machine, I support the ring L, said ring being guided in staples l, allowing said ring to rotate by turning onits imaginary centre.

Said ling may be formed of rectangular section, as

indicated in tig. 5, and have attached the guides M, the same being secured adjustably by set-screws m, as in said figure shown. In the slots of said guides M, the remmers E are guided.

Said ring is rotated by the pitman N, operated by the crank N' on the shaft O.

Said shaft O has the worm-wheeLo, operated on by the worm P'upon the shaft p.

Said shaft p has the drum Q,whieh, byra belt, connects with a drum, R, upon the cam-shaft h.

In this wise, the power being transmitted .from the shaft h, the pitman N gives to the ring L a reciprocal rotary motion, thereby moving the guides M and rammers E laterally, as above required. l

The said parts, in operation, are comparatively noise-- less, being herein anl improvement on similar machines; and it is, moreover, apparent that there is little Wear and tear upon said part-s, andthat the construction is economical, as well as the action eilcient.

' Having thus fully described my invention,

1. The core B, supported upon the base-block A, when arranged and combined with the sliding piece D and bolt b b', substantially as set forth.

2. The stationary mould C and core B, when combined with the rammers E and ring L and guides M, substantially as set forth.

3. The rammel-s E, ropes G, and cams H, substantially as set forth.

4. The ring L, .pitman N, crank N', shaft O, wormwheel o, and worm P, when operating substantially as set forth.

ROBERT HILL.'

Witnesses:

GEO. P. HERTHEL, Jr., WM. W. HERTHEL. 

